Memorial Day's Escape (Larry Macklin Mysteries Book 19) by A. E. Howe

Author:A. E. Howe [Howe, A. E.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-05-15T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

I went to my office and closed the door so I could get some work done. If I was going to spend part of the afternoon talking to the people at the bank, I needed to clear my inbox first. It was three o’clock before I was ready to leave.

The bank was busy when I arrived. Above the door was a black wreath and a picture of Roberto Cortez with a placard that read: Missed by all.

Curtis Warner, the assistant manager, was talking with a client so I took a seat in the lobby to wait. After only a few minutes, he walked up to me with his hand outstretched and a grim expression on his face.

“Sergeant Macklin, right? I can’t tell you how devastated we were when Deputy Ortiz informed us that Mr. Cortez had been murdered. It’s simply awful.”

“I’m sorry for your loss. Now that we know what happened to him, I need to ask some additional questions,” I said sympathetically.

“This way,” he said, leading me back to his office.

“What can I do to help?” Warner asked once we were seated.

“Can you think of anyone who has had an argument with or held a grudge against Mr. Cortez?”

Warner shrugged. “Bankers make people angry all the time. Goes with the business. But it’s not like he was the loan officer. That’s the hotseat. Cecilia Foster handles most of our loans. Let me think….” He frowned. “Truly, I can’t think of any problems he had with anyone. He was all business and very polite and considerate with everyone.”

“What about someone who was angry with the bank? Maybe an employee who was fired?”

He looked thoughtful for a moment before saying, “No one has been fired in the last year. And I can’t think of any customers who had more than a disagreement with a teller or a bank officer. Nothing out of the ordinary.”

“When Mr. Cortez went missing, did you think anyone in the bank acted odd? Maybe they didn’t seem very concerned… or they seemed overly concerned.”

“Everyone wondered where he was, but I wouldn’t say anyone was acting… abnormally.”

“Was anyone absent from work around that time?”

“Now that you mention it, Cecilia was out the day we reported him missing, but I don’t think there’s anything nefarious about it. She called in saying she had to take her three-year-old to the doctor. I forget what the issue was.”

“Is she here today?”

“Oh, yes. Do you want me to get her?” Warner offered.

“I’ll talk to her after we’re done. I assume that you will take Mr. Cortez’s position as manager?” I tried to ask the question without putting any inflection on the words, but from the look in his eyes it was clear he understood my intent.

“Really! You think I… That’s silly… Anyway, I’m just filling in until a replacement is appointed by the board. I can think of at least three other people here who are equally qualified.”

“I’d like you to write down their names for me.”

Warner scowled. “Now it’s one

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